So glad I bought this on a whim (read: based on the beautiful cover) when visiting John Sandoe Books in Chelsea! If we told someone that this was our life,” says the central character in Darling, “they wouldn’t believe us. A razor-sharp, laugh-out-loud novel that re-imagines the cast of Nancy Mitford's The Pursuit of Love. I haven’t read the original upon which it’s based - The Pursuit of Love - but will hunt down a copy to compare.

And it’s always a delight to find something new to carry you through winter; Knight rises to that challenge with aplomb. I actually snorted with laughter in several bits of it - particularly when Uncle Matthew and Davey get obsessed with Instagram. This book had an interesting storytelling style, where the character at the central of the story (Linda) wasn’t the main narrator (Franny).Finance is provided by PayPal Credit (a trading name of PayPal UK Ltd, Whittaker House, Whittaker Avenue, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Surrey, United Kingdom, TW9 1EH).

Somehow, India Knight's writing manages to be hilarious, melancholy, insightful, and romantic all at the same time. This is perhaps because Knight, free from the innate pressures of the roman à clef, has enough distance for clarity. Without a formal education Linda’s head is permanently in the clouds, but her natural curiosity and sharp mind means she has no qualms about her unconventional schooling, and absolutely no pretentions.Other authors have come along in my reading journey that have been right up my street - Terry Pratchett's Discworld novels are my all time go-to for comfort reading and never fail to raise a wry smile. Although Linda believes she wants to be free from the family confines, really she only dreams of romance and marriage. I have done ever since I picked up a copy of Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging by Louise Rennison when I was 13 and would spend hours laughing over every sentence. Linda’s daughter Moira (deathlessly described by Mitford as a ‘howling orange in a fine black wig’) is gaily abandoned in the original; here she remains a beloved, if semi-detached, family member.